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BulgariaMap of Bulgaria .............. 278Welcome to Bulgaria ...... 280Need to Know ................. 282If You Like ........................ 284Month by Month ............. 286Itineraries ........................ 288Regions at a Glance ....... 290

BulgariaBulgaria Today ................ 442History ............................. 444Outdoor Activities & Wildlife.......................... 454Visual Arts, Crafts & Music ............................ 460The Bulgarian People .... 463Bulgarian Wine ............... 465Bulgarian Cuisine ........... 468

h b k

lonelypl

PLAN YOUR TRIP Map .................................. 217 Top Experiences ........ 4

Romania Map of Romania ............. 14Welcome to Romania ..... 16Need to Know ................. 18If You Like ........................ 20Month by Month ............. 22Itineraries ........................ 24Regions at a Glance ....... 26

YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT

Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions to help you put together your perfect trip

UNDERSTAND ROMANIA & BULGARIARomaniaRomania Today ............... 228History ............................. 230The Dracula Myth ........... 240Outdoor Activities & Wildlife.......................... 242Visual Arts & .................. Folk Culture ................. 247The Romanian People .... 250The Romanian Table ...... 252

Need to Know

Currency » The lev (lv), divided

into 100 stotinki L»

When to Go

#

#

#

#

#

SofiaGO Mar–Jun

BanskoGO Dec–Feb

VarnaGO Jun–Sep

PlovdivGO Mar–Jun

SozopolGO May–Aug

Dry climateWarm to hot summers, mild wintersMild to hot summers, cold wintersMild summers, cold winters

Y B B

6»

»fmc»ta

M

61»a6»i2

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP

Learn about the big picture, so youcan make sense of what you see

Natural Beauty The Carpathian Mountains draw a wide arc through the centre of the country, leav-ing a swath of exposed rocky peaks sur-rounded by groves of pine and deciduous trees, and stretches of bright green mea-dow below. Hiking trails skirt the peaks, and a network of mountain huts provides somewhere to rest your head at night. Eu-rope’s second-longest river, the Danube, marks Romania’s southern border before turning suddenly northward and empty-ing into the Black Sea. The Danube Delta is a vast and unique protected wetland, perfect for hiking, shing, boating and birdwatching.

Castles & Medieval Villages The land that gave us Dracula has no shortage of jaw-dropping castles pitched precariously on rocky hilltops. There’s spooky Bran Castle of course, with its spu-rious connection to Bram Stoker’s ctional count, but don’t overlook beauties such as Hunedoara’s 14th-century Corvin Castle or King Carol I’s sumptuous 19th-century pile, Pele Castle. North of Curtea de Arge , you’ll nd the ruins of a fortress that really was the stomping ground of old Vlad

epe . In Maramure you’ll discover towns and villages that seemingly stepped out of the Middle Ages, complete with hay racks, horse carts and stately wooden churches.

Welcome to Romania

Bucharest Museums Entertainment Food

Museums Bucharest is home to the country’s top museums of art history and natural

Wallachia History Nature Winemaking

History The modern Roma-nian state traces its roots back to the old principality of Wallachia, once ruled over by the feared Vlad epe . The princely courts of Curtea de Arge and Târgovi te tell this history.

Nature The Danube River defines Wallachia’s

Transylvania Castles Mountains Scenic Villages

Castles Who can blame author Bram Stoker for looking to Tran-sylvania for inspi-ration on spooky castles? Bran is a national treasure, but don’t neglect Corvin Castle, at Hunedoara, or Râ nov, not far from Bra ov.

Mountains Transylvania’s

regions at a glance

26

I SBN 978 -1 -74179 -944 -6

9 781741 799446

99525

romania-bulgaria-6-cover.indd 2romania-bulgaria-6-cover.indd 2 8/02/2013 1:45:35 PM8/02/2013 1:45:35 PM

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Mark BakerChris Deliso, Richard Waters, Richard Watkins

p319Southern Mountains

Plovdiv & thep357

Central MountainsVeliko Târnovo &

p425The Danube & Northern Plains

Coast p209& Black SeaThe Danube Delta

p181Monasteries

BucovinaMoldavia & the

p164Maramure¢

p72Transylvania

p147Banat

Cri¢ana &

p30Bucharest

p56Wallachia

p294Sofia

p393Black Sea Coast

BULGARIA

ROMANIA

YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE

In-depth reviews, detailed listings and insider tips

SURVIVAL GUIDERomania Directory A–Z ................. 256Transport ........................ 264Language ........................ 271

Bulgaria Directory A–Z ................. 472Transport ........................ 480Language ........................ 487

Index ................................ 494Map Legend .................... 510

VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO

HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

ON THE ROAD

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ith

rest

aura

nts,

bars

and

gal

leri

es (p

337)

Mel

nik

Hom

e to

fine

win

e si

nce

Thra

cian

tim

es (p

334)

Piri

n M

ount

ains

Long

ski

sea

sons

and

stee

p ru

ns (p

327)

Rila

Mon

aste

ryBu

lgar

ia’s

mos

t sto

ried

spir

itua

l tre

asur

e (p

322)

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BUCHAREST � � � � � � � �30AROUND BUCHAREST . . . . 53Snagov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

WALLACHIA � � � � � � � � 56Ploieşti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Târgovişte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Piteşti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Curtea de Argeş . . . . . . . . . .64Craiova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Drobeta-Turnu Severin . . . .69

TRANSYLVANIA � � � � � 72PRAHOVA VALLEY . . . . . . . . 73Sinaia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Bucegi Mountains . . . . . . . . 79Predeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81BRAŞOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82AROUND BRAŞOV . . . . . . . . 90Bran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90Poiana Braşov . . . . . . . . . . . .92Râşnov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Zărneşti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Măgura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94Piatra Craiului National Park . . . . . . . . . . . .95North of Braşov . . . . . . . . . .95SAXON LAND . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Sighişoara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Fortified Saxon Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Făgăraş Mountains . . . . . . .104Sibiu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106Around Sibiu . . . . . . . . . . . . 113SZÉKELY LAND . . . . . . . . . . .115

See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

On the RoadSfântu Gheorghe . . . . . . . . 116Spa Towns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Miercurea Ciuc . . . . . . . . . . 117Gheorgheni . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Odorheiu Secuiesc . . . . . . . 119Odorheiu Secuiesc to Târgu Mureş . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Târgu Mureş . . . . . . . . . . . . 121SOUTHWEST TRANSYLVANIA . . . . . . . . . 126Alba Iulia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Deva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Hunedoara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Retezat Mountains . . . . . . . 131NORTHERN TRANSYLVANIA . . . . . . . . . 133Cluj-Napoca . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Turda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Huedin Microregion (Kalotaszeg) . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Apuseni Mountains (North) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Cluj-Napoca to Bistriţa . . . 143Bistriţa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Bârgău Valley . . . . . . . . . . . 145

CRIŞANA & BANAT � � � � � � � � � � � � 147BANAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Timişoara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149CRIŞANA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Oradea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Băile Felix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Arieşeni & Gârda de Sus . .160Arad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

MARAMUREŞ � � � � � � 164Baia Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Around Baia Mare . . . . . . . 169Ţara Chioarului . . . . . . . . . . 170Sighetu Marmaţiei . . . . . . . 170Mara Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Izei Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Vişeu & Vaser Valleys . . . . 178Prislop Pass . . . . . . . . . . . .180

MOLDAVIA & THE BUCOVINA MONASTERIES � � � � � 181SOUTHERN MOLDAVIA . . . 183Iaşi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Around Iaşi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Piatra Neamţ . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Bicaz & the Ceahlău Massif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196Bicaz Gorges & Lacu Roşu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197SOUTHERN BUCOVINA . . . 198Suceava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Bucovina Monasteries . . . 202Câmpulung Moldovenesc . . . . . . . . . . . .207Rarău Massif . . . . . . . . . . . .207

THE DANUBE DELTA & BLACK SEA COAST � � � � � � � �209DANUBE DELTA . . . . . . . . . .211Tulcea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Sulina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Sfântu Gheorghe . . . . . . . . 216

BLACK SEA COAST & LITTORAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Constanţa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Mamaia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223Vama Veche . . . . . . . . . . . . .225

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HUNGARY

SERBIA

Crişana

Banat

Wallachia

Transylvania

Dunav

(Danube)

Mureş

Dunav (Danube)

PrislopPass

Cindrel

Târnave plateauwine region

Moraviţa

Băile Felix

Băile Herculane

Orşova

SatuMare

Caransebeş

Sebeş

Târgu Jiu

Bistriţa

Deva

Baia Mare

Piteşti

Oradea

Cluj-Napoca

Craiova

Szeged

Uzhhorod

Debrecen

Arad

Belgrade

SibiuTimişoara

Karcag

SighetuMarmaţiei

Dej

TurnuMăgurele

Pleven

Corabia

Caracal

Slatina

ScorniceştiDrăgăşani

Calafat

Niš

Drobeta-TurnuSeverin

Kraljevo

Anina

Reşiţa

Lugoj

Jimbolia

Nădlac

Petrila

PetroşaniLupeni

Lipova

Hunedoara

Alba Iulia Blaj

Aiud

Mediaş Biertan

Sighişoara

Făgăraş

TurdaBeiuş

Borş

Moisei

CurteaDe Argeş

Filiaşi

Chișineu-Criș

IneuAlbac

Livada

Ucea

Reghin

Zimbor

Voiteg

Bechet

Arieşeni Gârda de Sus TârguMureş

Orâştie

RâmnicuVâlcea

Roşioride Vede

RetezatNational

Park

ApuseniMountains

Făgaraş MountainsRetezat Mountains

Carpathian Mountains

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MOLDOVA

CeahlăuMassif

Moldavia

Olt

Ialomiţa

Prut

Cotnariwine

region

Histria

Gura Humorului

Tulcea

NegruVodă

Buzău

Siret

Vaslui

Silistra

Hârşova

Mangalia

Călăraşi

Giurgiu

Sinaia

Constanţa

Brăila

Suceava

Iaşi

Galaţi

Ploieşti

Bacău

Chernivtsi

Bucharest

Chişinău

Braşov

VatraDornei

SuceviţaPutna

Dorohoi

BotoşaniBălţi

Ungheni

Sculeni

TiraspolAlbiţa

Bârlad

Tecuci

Câmpina

Snagov

Făurei

Prejmer

Feteşti

Găeşti

Târgovişte

Pucioasa

Câmpulung

Zărneşti

Codlea

Gheorgheni

OdorheiuSecuiesc

Miercurea Ciuc

TârguNeamţ

Piatra NeamţBicaz

SfântuGheorghe

Focşani

RâmnicuSărat

Oneşti

Adjud

TârguFrumos

Roman

Moineşti

Mărăşeşti

Rupea

Măcin

Horia

Ciucurova

Slobozia

Olteniţa

Urziceni

Otopeni

Brăneşti

Alexandria

Zimnicea

Mamaia

Vama Veche

Sulina

SfântuGheorghe

Topliţa

Odobeştiwine

regionC a r p a t h i a n M

o u n t a i n s

Bucegi Mountains

#e0 200 km0 100 miles

Itiner-aries

Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide the starting point for a trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.

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Sinaia

Sighişoara

Sibiu Braşov

Curteade Argeş

Bran

BUCHAREST

Poiana Braşov

HUNGARY

BULGARIA

MOLDOVA

SERBIABlackSea

Râșnov

BucegiMountains

Viscri

#•Transfăgărăşan

Road

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

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10 DaysClassic Romania

This classic route for travellers wanting a taste of Transylvania starts in the capital, Bucharest, where most flights arrive.

Hire a car at Bucharest or hop a train northward toward the mountains, stopping in Sinaia for a couple of nights and checking out Peleş Castle.

From there, take a cable car up into the Bucegi Mountains for hiking or biking. Drive or bus north for a couple of nights in Braşov, a lively hub with a cobbled centre.

Take day trips to the infamous ‘Dracula’s Castle’ at Bran and another stunner at Râşnov, with the option of skiing and hiking at nearby Poiana Braşov.

If you have a car, spend a night in Viscri before continuing on for a night in Sighişoara, where the dramatic citadel offers B&Bs, espresso and Dracula’s birthplace. From here, head southwest for a night or two in Sibiu.

If you have a car (and it’s summer), drive south along the breathtaking Transfăgărăşan Road, which tackles the biggest of the Carpathians. South of the pass, stop at the ‘real Drac­ula’s castle’ of Poienari Citadel outside Curtea de Argeş before returning to Bucharest.

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Surdeşti

BudeştiIeud

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monasteries

Văratec Monastery

Agapia Monastery

NeamţMonastery

Moldoviţa Monastery

Voroneţ Monastery

MOLDOVA

ROMANIA

UKRAINE

SulinaTulcea

SighetuMarmaţiei

Biertan

TârguNeamţ

BaiaMare

Sighişoara

Piatra NeamţCluj-Napoca

Suceava

Sibiu

Iaşi

Braşov

Humor Monastery

Sfântu Gheorghe

Viscri

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Danube Delta & MonasteriesTransylvania & Maramureş

7–10 Days Danube Delta & Monasteries

This tour starts in Tulcea, the gate­way to the delta, though it could be done in reverse, beginning in Suceava. If you’re arriving in Bucha­

rest, take the bus or drive (3 to 4 hours) to Tulcea.

If you’ve only got a day or two for the delta, stay overnight in Tulcea and enter the delta via boating day trips. If you’ve got a few days or longer, skip Tulcea and grab a pas­senger ferry to deeper, more scenic destina­tions such as Sulina or Sfântu Gheorghe.

After getting your birdwatching and boat­ing on, return to Tulcea and take the bus or drive north to Iaşi, Moldavia’s largest city. Spend a day taking in the sights. Use Iaşi as a base to explore the Agapia, Văratec and Neamţ monasteries or head west and settle in at Piatra Neamţ or Târgu Neamţ.

From here, it’s a short hop to Suceava, a good base for exploring the Bucovina painted monasteries. Highlights include the Voroneţ, Humor, Moldoviţa and Suceviţa monasteries. Accessing the mon­asteries is tricky without a car. If travelling by public transport, allow a couple of extra days.

10–14 Days Transylvania & Maramureş

If you’re coming to Romania to get a taste of small­town life, this tour is for you. Braşov makes a good base; if you’re starting from Bucharest, take

the train north on arrival. Spend at least a day or two in Braşov, and use it as a base for exploring Bran Castle and amazing forti­fied churches such as the one in Viscri.

From here, head north to the Unesco­ protected town of Sighişoara and its historic citadel. Spend the night before heading south to the former Saxon stronghold of Sibiu. If you’ve got your own wheels, make a detour to take in another gorgeous village at Biertan. Sibiu is one of the liveliest cities in Romania, and well worth a couple of nights.

From here, you’ll have to backtrack to­wards Sighişoara or head north through Cluj-Napoca. If you’ve got the time, this is another lively metropolis that merits at least a night.

From here push northward to Baia Mare or to Sighetu Marmaţiei, bases for further exploration of Maramureş. Don’t miss the Merry Cemetery near Săpânţa. From Sighetu Marmaţiei, it’s just a short hop to the pretty villages of Budeşti, Surdeşti and Ieud.

25PLAN

YOUR TRIP IT

INER

AR

IES

Look out for these icons:

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Every listing is recommended by our authors, and their favourite places are listed first

A green or sustainable option No payment

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See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

On the RoadSOFIA � � � � � � � � � � � �294AROUND SOFIA . . . . . . . . . 315Boyana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315Vitosha Nature Park . . . . . 316

PLOVDIV & THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS � � � � � � � 319RILA MOUNTAINS . . . . . . 321Rila Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321Rila Monastery . . . . . . . . . .322Around Rila Monastery . . .324Borovets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325PIRIN MOUNTAINS . . . . . .327Blagoevgrad . . . . . . . . . . . .328Bansko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330Melnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334Rozhen Monastery . . . . . . .337BULGARIAN THRACE . . . .337Plovdiv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337Around Plovdiv . . . . . . . . . 349RODOPI MOUNTAINS . . . 350Chepelare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350Pamporovo . . . . . . . . . . . . .352Smolyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353Devin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354

VELIKO TÂRNOVO & CENTRAL MOUNTAINS � � � � � � � 357Shumen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359Madara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362Veliko Târnovo . . . . . . . . . 363Around Veliko Târnovo . . . .372Dryanovo Monastery . . . . . 374

Tryavna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374Etâr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376Lovech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377Troyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378Troyan Monastery . . . . . . 380Hisar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381Karlovo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381Kazanlâk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383Shipka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387Stara Zagora . . . . . . . . . . .387Sliven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

BLACK SEA COAST � � � � � � � � � � � �393SOUTHERN COAST . . . . . .395Burgas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .395Burgas Lakes . . . . . . . . . . 399Sozopol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400Ropotamo Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404Primorsko . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404Kiten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405Tsarevo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405Strandzha Nature Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406Sinemorets . . . . . . . . . . . . 406CENTRAL COAST . . . . . . . .407Pomorie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407Nesebâr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407Sunny Beach (Slânchev Bryag) . . . . . . . 411NORTHERN COAST . . . . . . 412Varna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412Sveti Konstantin . . . . . . . . 419Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasâtsi) . . . . . . . 420

Balchik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421Kavarna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .423Kaliakra Cape . . . . . . . . . . .424

THE DANUBE & NORTHERN PLAINS� � � � � � � � � � � �425Vratsa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .427Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 428Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428Lopushanski Monastery . 428Chiprovtsi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428Belogradchik . . . . . . . . . . 429Vidin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430Cherepish Monastery . . . . 431Pleven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431Ruse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432Rusenski Lom Nature Park . . . . . . . . . . . .437Lake Srebârna & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438Silistra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

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Kalotina

Pernik

Teteven

Shiroka Lûka

GotseDelchev

Vratsa

Lovech

Samokov Pazardzhik

Gyueshevo Rila

Plovdiv

BlagoevgradBansko

Dupnitsa Peshtera

Smolyan

Sofia

Lom

Kneza

Montana

Troyan

Sandanski

Hisar(Hisarya)

Koprivshtitsa

Melnik

Petrich

Chiprovtsi

Berkovica

Orjahovo

KarlovoSopot

Pamporovo

Devin Chepelare

Promahonas

Ihtiman

Vidin Calafat

Craiova

Pirot

Štip

Kavadarci

Serres

Drama

Velingrad

BatakAvramovo

Exohi

Asenovgrad

Dospat

Zlatarevo

Borovan

Mezdra

Levski

PirdopAnton

Brezovo

Svoge

Novi Iskâr

Kostenets

Borovets

SvishtovCherkovitsaGoulyantsi

Dobrinishte

ChervenBryag

Panagyurishte

Kyustendil

Boyana

GREECE

ROMANIA

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Tryavna

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Haskovo

Razgrad

Bucharest

Golden Sands(Zlatni Pyasâtsi)

Byala

KaliakraAlbena

Shumen

VelikiPreslav

Popovo

KavarnaBalchikDobrich

Emona

Durankulak

Madara

Zlatograd

Kârdzhali

Kotel Aitos

Elhovo

Sredets

Sozopol

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VelikoTârnovo

Sunny Beach(Slânchev Bryag)

Pomorie

Silistra

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Mangalia

Keşan

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KırklareliHarmanli

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Elena Katunishte

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Itiner-aries

Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide the starting point for a trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.

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Two WeeksFrom Sofia to the Coast

Start off with a few days in the capital, Sofia, taking time to visit a couple of the fascinating museums, galleries and churches. From Sofia, you can take a day trip out to the beautiful Rila Monastery, Bulgaria’s most important pilgrimage site and one of the country’s real highlights.

Take the bus – or train, if you prefer – from Sofia to Burgas on the southern Black Sea coast. Spend at least one night in this laid­back city, and take a stroll through the lovely Maritime Park down to the beach. Take the bus for the short trip southwards along the coast to the ancient town of Sozopol, with its quaint cobbled lanes and attractive sandy beaches. Spend three or four days here, relaxing by the seaside, sampling the fresh local seafood and maybe enjoying one of the free outdoor concerts or a yacht trip around the peninsula. If you’re here in summer, catch the ferry up to Nesebâr, famed for its numerous medieval churches, and spend the day sightseeing.

Return to Burgas to get the bus or train back to Sofia.

288

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Along the Danube to the SeaSouthern & Central Bulgaria

Two Weeks Along the Danube to the Sea

From Sofia, head north by bus to the little town of Vratsa, where you can spend a couple of days walking in the mountains or visiting the interest­

ing museums. From here, travel by bus to Pleven where you can pick up another bus to Ruse, for your first glimpse of the mighty Danube. One of Bulgaria’s most elegant and appealing cities, Ruse is known for its grand Viennese­style architecture and boasts sev­eral diverting museums, extensive parkland and a lively cafe scene.

Spend three or four days in Ruse, taking a day trip south of the city to the Rusenski Lom Nature Park to visit the remarkable rock churches and caves, and maybe spot some of the rare local wildlife.

From Ruse head eastwards to Silistra, a quiet town on the Danube, for a relaxing day or two before continuing to the Black Sea coast at Varna. You could easily spend several days in Bulgaria’s ‘maritime capital’. Relax on the long, sandy city beach, enjoy a show or concert at one of the city’s many cultural venues, or go clubbing along the vi­brant seafront.

Three Weeks Southern & Central Bulgaria

From Sofia, catch a bus south to tranquil Melnik, famous for its wine, chalky ‘pyramids’ and National Revival–era mansions. Soak up the

sunshine for a couple of days and visit his­toric Rozhen Monastery nearby. Continue by bus to Bansko, for two or three days of summer hikes or winter skiing.

From Bansko, take the train as it mean­ders on a narrow­gauge rail through moun­tainous forests before reaching Septemvri, on the main line to Plovdiv; this city boasts a sublime old town with clustered, classic architecture, ancient sites, art galleries and cafes – it deserves three or four days, espe­cially if you’ll also visit nearby Bachkovo Monastery. Head north to Hisar, famous since antiquity for its healing waters.

Continue to quiet Karlovo for more tra­ditional ambience before visiting Kazan-lâk, famous for its ancient Thracian Tomb. Cross the mountains at the gorgeous Ship-ka Pass, stopping first in Shipka village, to see its gleaming, golden onion­domed church. Finally, unwind for a few days in Veliko Târnovo, Bulgaria’s medieval capi­tal. In the shadow of its impressive fortress, this university city offers elegant eating and vivacious nightlife.

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